ok what's going on here? My civic only gets around 36 MPG on the freeway... pretty much stock... I have a short ram on there and some headers but that's it. It's a D16Z6 in an EX coupe. I think I calculated it right. I drove 440 miles on 12 gallons of gas so... but in other terms of mileage wars, my car has 230,000 miles on it so I suppose that I can't be too hard on it... Even though it doesn't burn any oil whatsoever. how do you guys get such good mileage?

 

Okay, the results of my first two test runs are in:

AC on/AC off, highway and stop and go highway (rush hour, doing the Traffic Wave thing), about 80 percent, suburban, 20 percent: 36.72 mpg. Driving fairly aggresively. Downshifting to pass on the interstate in uphill sections and some "spirited" passing and curve carving on some 50 mph backcountry roads.

AC on, windows up, holding at about 70-75 mph on an interstate: 39.94 mpg.

I have to admit that I goosed it on the on ramp, but after that I tried to just maintain speed. I put the AC on recirculate and toned it down a few notches on the temperature (blue to red) dial.

Next test: run the same course with the AC off and the windows down. We'll see what happens.

How do I get mileage like this? I try to accelerate gently and grab the next gear as soon as possible. This puts me into 5th gear at about 45 mph on level ground. This is, of course, not always possible. After the Next Test (highway, 65 mph, no AC, windows open), I'll be doing a "Drive it Like You Stole It" test, and we'll see what happens. (I have to admit this car is pretty fun as a cruiser, but beating it is like beating a pig: the pig does not go faster and it just annoys the pig. No Fun.)

2003 Civic DX 5mt, SOHC NON VTEC 1.7.

BTW--glad to see you at over 200K and no oil emissions--good job, it shows you maintain and drive well. My 82 DX went to almost 210K when I sold it for $500--last I saw it was heading for Texas and getting 40 mpg!

 

Wow! If I got 40 mpg under the circumstances you describe, I wouldn't worry about windows down and no AC. It will be interesting to see what the difference will be on your second try. The only thing I'd request is that you do a tank of AC off and windows open while driving as close as possible to how you were driving in the first test. That should give a closer proximation as to how much difference the two styles really make. If you "drive it like you stole it," as apposed to trying to drive somewhat economically, you'll skew the results. Afterwords, you can try the "drive it like you stole it" method just for the fun of it.

Either way, I think this is interesting and appreciate you're taking the time to report back!

Have fun!
Steve R.

 

Okay, I'll apply the same driving style with the windows open--cruising at 70-75 mph--as I did in the AC/Window Up test--and see what turns up in the MPG figures.

Then, on the next tank, I'll go with the "drive it like you stole it" style. Maybe I should try this at the track?

 

man all this talk about 30-40 mpg makes me wonder whats wrong with my car. on a full tank i can barely get 250 miles.

 

Topped off this morning after running the first tank that "I" put in the car. This tank was probably around 60/40, city/highway. I made 353.1 miles and put 11.056 gallons in the tank for an average 31.93 mpg. This was running AC on all the time. It's not what Civicstealth is getting but it's significantly better than anything I've ever owned so far. The car's got just over 650 miles on it so I'm sure it's still got some break-in to do. I'm hoping it will only get better from here. We'll see!

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

Sounds like the engine is starting to settle in for you--I bet you get up into the mid-30's in the next couple of tanks as it "breaks in."

I have to admit that these cars can get scary. The furthest I've gone on one tank was 446 miles, and I started to tap on the gas gauge to see if it was stuck or maybe broken. The needle never went below about a quarter of a tank, and then when I did fill it up, sure enough, it took less than ten gallons, so the gauge must have been correct!

From what I've read and tested, getting these kinds of mileage figures depends on maintaining your vehicle, road and traffic conditions, weather and altitude, and, maybe the one factor you can influence the most, your driving style.

I have to admit, I like to pass everyone who's in front of me, but I also like to squeeze all of the energy I can out of a gallon of gas. So, I've tried to adopt a more thoughtful driving style. Instead of banzai point-and-shoot tactics that were easy to use in my MINI Cooper (and got me 26-32 mpg of 93 octane! Expensive!), I've really been trying to "game out" the traffic ahead of me and find the path of least resistance through it without having to accelerate--just maintaining 10 mph or so faster than the speed of the traffic flow and looking for opportunities (don't touch the brakes!). It becomes an interesting intellectual exercise, and proves that by using your mind you can do more with less.

And, of course, I'm also putting all of the money I save on gas into my WRX STi/Corvette fund...........

 

I have a Hx so u know it gets good gas milage, but not the way im driving and i cant ity to drive properly to get a mpg but it takes too long

 

Most of you guys travel on realitivly flat area? I have small hills and LOTS of traffic...I average 32MPG on a 95 DX hatch. The other day after twice getting hammered by the traffic gods it fell to 29.5. Nothing like sitting on the highway doing 2MPH to get your blood up. Best ever was 38MPG.

 

I hope you're right about that!

I wouldn't mind having that problem either!

Absolutely, the driver is "the" biggest single factor in determining what kind of fuel consumption a given car will have but there are "many" other things that have an effect.

I hear ya. Been there, done that! Some days it really works out well, others I can't get into the flow of things to save my life. If you really watch what's going on though, it's amazing to see just how adversely "one" driver can effect all the traffic around them. There's a domino effect that just screws everyone up under the right circumstances.

Best of luck on that one. Actually, I traded an S2000 when I bought my Civic. I had a great time with it and will miss it but so far, I've found that I'm not missing it as much as I thought I would. The fact that my car payments are $160/month less and my annual insurance bill went from about $1,450 to $620 doesn't hurt either.

Drive Safe,
Steve R.